21. Firefly catching 101

Firefly catching 101

Your guide to interacting with lightning bugs safely and responsibly

EMILY BRAY

CREDIT: PEXELS

Summer is approaching, and that means camping trips, stargazing, and backyard get-togethers.

What’s my favourite part of all of these activities, you ask? Catching fireflies!

Watching fireflies light up our yard at night has always been one of the things that I look forward to most about summer. When I was young, my mom used to catch them for me so that I could get an up-close look at their tiny glowing abdomens. Eventually, when I was old enough to treat them with care, she taught me how to catch them myself.

Ever since then, it’s become a summertime tradition for me to go out and catch fireflies throughout late spring and early summer. I love finding little lightning bugs to show to my friends and younger cousins.

However, as much as I think catching fireflies can be a great way to enjoy warm summer nights and educate yourself about insects, it can be harmful to the little creatures if done the wrong way. Handling insects improperly can lead to them getting hurt. This is not only sad, but it also has a negative impact on local ecosystems, as fireflies are already an endangered species, reports CNN.

So, to do my part, I’ve put together this handy guide to safely catching fireflies. Read on to learn how you can get an up-close-andpersonal look at these fascinating insects while also treating them with the respect they deserve!

Step 1: Scout for the perfect spot

When searching for fireflies, the first thing you’ll need to do is find an area with high grasses and shrubs. According to the American Native Plants nursery, fireflies are attracted to these sorts of environments because they enjoy hiding amongst the leaves and blades of grass during the day. Therefore, when night falls, this is the easiest place to find them. Typically, you can find tall grasses and shrubs at the edge of a yard or field, or next to a tree line.

Another key place to search for fireflies is beside bodies of freshwater, such as lakes, marshes, or ponds. Fireflies love moisture and require a lot of it while they are in their larval stage of development. Therefore, they tend to hang out around water during their mating cycles.

You’ll also want to keep in mind that fireflies tend to get shy and act strangely when exposed to bright lights, as they can confuse them for daylight or a gigantic potential mate. Make sure to turn off all outdoor lights and flashlights to prevent fireflies from becoming disoriented and to allow yourself to see them more easily in the dark.

If you can find a place that meets these criteria—a dark area where tall grasses meet water— then you’re all set! Now you just have to wait for the sun to go down.

Step 2: Find a stationary female

Night has fallen and you notice a faint pinprick of light peek through the grass. Then another. Then another. Soon, fireflies appear all around you, floating in the air and lounging in the foliage.

So, what now?

Well, if you look up “how to catch a firefly,” Google will tell you to bust out a net and scoop one right out of the air.

However, I recommend taking an easier approach that doesn’t require you to chase a bug around the yard—search the grass for a female firefly resting her wings.

Both male and female fireflies glow, however only males tend to fly around at night. According to the Firefly Watch, a citizen science project at the Museum of Science in Boston, the males drift through the air and flash their lights to attract females, who in turn respond with their own flashes from a comfier perch in the grass.

It’s fairly easy to find a female—all you have to do is watch for flashes in the foliage. Once you spot one, approach carefully and kneel down close to it.

Step 3: Gently scoop the firefly

The most vulnerable part of a firefly are its legs, so the goal is to avoid squishing them. The easiest way to do this is by picking the bug up from underneath rather than pinching it between your fingers.

Spread your fingers slightly and put your hand into the grass directly beneath the firefly so that the blades of grass rest between your fingers. Then, gently guide your hand up the grass stalks. The grass should slide fairly easily between your fingers as your hand travels up—try not to pinch them

together too tight or it will make your movements jerky.

Once you reach the firefly, it will be pulled off of the grass and will end up riding your hand like an elevator all the way up to the top of the stalks, where you can then pull your hand free.

Voila! You now have a bug in your hand.

Don’t be surprised if the firefly stops flashing for a moment— sometimes they get nervous and dim their lights to stay out of sight. Waiting a few minutes is usually all it takes for the bug to start glowing again.

Step 4: Let it do it’s thing

Now that you’ve captured the firefly, what do you do with it?

ICONS BY FLATICON

The best thing to do is let the firefly wander around on your hand. Typically female fireflies don’t like to move very much, so she’ll probably just hang out on your fingers.

However, if she does try to fly off, don’t close your fingers around her. This knee-jerk reaction may cause you to accidentally squish the bug or harm its legs. Instead, just let her go on her way. You can always find another one.

It’s a pretty popular practice to put fireflies in a jar after you catch them. Personally, I’m not a fan of this since it can cause accidental injury if done improperly. However, if you’re determined to make a firefly jar, I recommend looking online for tips on how to do it safely.

Once you’re up-close-andpersonal with a firefly, you can observe lots of interesting things about it. There are 19 different subtypes of fireflies to be found in Ontario, says the Canadian Journal of Arthropod Identification, and you can tell a lot about them by their blinking patterns, colours, and body shapes.

The Firefly Conservation & Research organization has found Photinus pyralis to be the most common firefly in North America. It can be identified by its characteristic greenish-yellow glow. Pyractomena fireflies, on the other hand, glow amber, like sparks from a campfire.

If you notice something distinctive about a firefly, be sure to make note of it and look it up online later. Who knows, maybe you’ll be the first to discover a new species of firefly!

Step 5: Put it back when you’re done

Once you’re finished looking at a firefly, always be sure to return it to the area where you found it. You can just place it gently back in the grass.

It’s important to release fireflies back into their natural habitat to prevent the species from suffering any more population losses. Pesticide use, artificial lighting, poor water quality, climate change, and urban development have threatened fireflies across North America, reports Mongabay, a nonprofit environmental science and conservation news platform. Make sure that you are not contributing to the issue. It’s easy to have fun and respect these little creatures at the same time!

Alright, now that you know all the tips and tricks, get out there and catch some fireflies! They tend to begin appearing in late May and can stay for as long as two months, so you’ve got lots of time to perfect your craft.

Stay safe and have fun making some new six-legged friends!

CREDIT: FREEPIK

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